Magic-User Abilities

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Seven
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by Seven »

Solomoriah wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:43 pm At first level, you fight one fight, and then you rest. If you are very, very lucky, you may get a second fight without dying, but three times is a unlikely, unless the GM is handing out presents.
At first level, resting does not really help that much since Clerics don't get Cure Light Wounds until level 2. I wouldn't try a campaign without handing out presents at the start. I just shy away from the biggest presents: free exp and extra levels.
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Tazer_The_Yoot
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by Tazer_The_Yoot »

I start some of my Basic Fantasy campaigns with everyone at 5000xp and one minor magic item. Not all, but some. It depends on the style of game. The nautical campaign I'm planning for next year, for instance, assumes an experienced party like the Argonauts or Sinbad's crew who have had some experience before the beginning of the current scenario. Like certain modules' pre-generated characters.
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Dimirag
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by Dimirag »

Seven wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:32 am
At first level, resting does not really help that much since Clerics don't get Cure Light Wounds until level 2. I wouldn't try a campaign without handing out presents at the start. I just shy away from the biggest presents: free exp and extra levels.
Natural healing is a slow thing, you can change it, and/or add rules for medicines, or use the discussed rules of Clerical Lay Hands without having to resort to potions and the like.
Sorry for any misspelling or writing error, I am not a native English speaker
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LleijS
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by LleijS »

Hi Ivan!

Thank you for your contribution, as per your request I've read it over and I'm happy to give my 2 cents. :)

There are a lot of cool things that I may transfer over to my games. I love the astrology and herbalism as starting abilities and I agree that familiars should be a starting ability. Personally, I wouldn't start a character with a familiar as questing for the materials needed for the ritual sounds like good beginning character motivation.

I also like starting off MUs with the ability to detect and read magic, however I'm not fond of employing those abilities by skill check. I realize it's a matter of taste, but for me magic should act like magic and not skills, system-wise. I would just give them as free spells in the spellbook. In my home game, I use a homebrew spell point system and path magic system, so 1st level characters have more opportunities to cast spells per day than core rules, so reading and detecting magic isn't as expensive as it would be 'as-written'. However, I do think read magic and detect magic should have some sort of 'cost' associated with it as part of the overall resource management aspect of the game.

Also, unless an MU is an Illusionist, I don't see why one would be able to detect illusions as an inherent ability.

For lesser magic missile, I would offer it to my players depending on the setting and tone of my campaign. In a high-magic, heroic fantasy setting, I think it is appropriate. In the gritty swords and sorcery campaign I am currently running, I would not. I would suggest that like the Fighter Options supplement, you add checkboxes so the GM can communicate to the players which options he or she would like to use in the campaign and which ones are not being used.

I hope you find this feedback useful!
irichmond
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Magic-User Abilities

Post by irichmond »

Hi,

I posted the first draft of this a few weeks ago of a system for minor, low-powered Magic-User abilities or skills that Magic-Users can use kind of like thief abilities, so that low level Magic-Users have other ways to contribute to the party. Since then, I've taken people's advice, polished it up, and updated it. I've also put in some "Designer's Notes" that explain why I did things the way I did, or how I decided on certain rules. I also centralized on the Ability Rolls optional rule in the core rulebook (under GM Info on pg. 157).

Please give me constructive criticism. These are optional rules, presented piece-meal, so please keep that in mind. If you wouldn't use anything like Magic-User abilities in the first place, I'm not looking for feedback from you, since it's unhelpful to know that you wouldn't use my supplement no matter how good it was. However, if you would use a supplement like this, please give me your constructive feedback, both positive and negative, so that I can improve it.

Thanks :).
Attachments
Magic-user Abilities.odt
Provides minor abilities Magic-Users can use at low levels to contribute to their party more than just casting their 1 or 2 spells.
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Dimirag
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by Dimirag »

Merged with original post

@irichmond: Common procedure is to upload new files on the first post with its release number increased by one (r#+1), I did that for the new file, you can delete the old one if you wish. Please make sure to post future releases this way.
Sorry for any misspelling or writing error, I am not a native English speaker
Drawing portfolio: https://www.instagram.com/m.serena_dimirag/
irichmond
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by irichmond »

Oh, thanks. I'll find the original post and post there, next time :).
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Pirate GM13
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by Pirate GM13 »

irichmond wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 3:23 am Hi,

I posted the first draft of this a few weeks ago of a system for minor, low-powered Magic-User abilities or skills that Magic-Users can use kind of like thief abilities, so that low level Magic-Users have other ways to contribute to the party. Since then, I've taken people's advice, polished it up, and updated it. I've also put in some "Designer's Notes" that explain why I did things the way I did, or how I decided on certain rules. I also centralized on the Ability Rolls optional rule in the core rulebook (under GM Info on pg. 157).

Please give me constructive criticism. These are optional rules, presented piece-meal, so please keep that in mind. If you wouldn't use anything like Magic-User abilities in the first place, I'm not looking for feedback from you, since it's unhelpful to know that you wouldn't use my supplement no matter how good it was. However, if you would use a supplement like this, please give me your constructive feedback, both positive and negative, so that I can improve it.

Thanks :).
Whoops... Sorry man, didn't mean to hijack your old post
Is it the dice against you or you against the dice?
irichmond
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by irichmond »

I've taken people's suggestions, and turned this into a by-donation product on DriveThru, here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/36 ... ard-Skills
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Solomoriah
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Re: Magic-User Abilities

Post by Solomoriah »

Whoa there. This is becoming a commercial advertisement; yeah, it's PWYW, but still, a product for sale elsewhere. There is a thread for sharing links to products for sale which you might want to post that in.

Do you intend to continue sharing it freely here?
My personal site: www.gonnerman.org
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